Hyundai to kick off third shift today at Montgomery auto plant

News file/Beverly TaylorHyundai's Montgomery plant will operate 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday, when a new third shift starts today.

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Hyundai plant in Montgomery is scheduled to kick off a third shift today, a first for the Korean automaker's Alabama operations that is aimed at meeting growing demand for its state-built cars.

The move means the plant will operate around the clock, Monday through Friday. The new employees, as well as veteran ones, have been spread among all three shifts to ensure there are experienced workers at all times, said plant spokesman Robert Burns.

The groups of employees on each shift will rotate on a monthly basis, he said.

Workers have been on overtime schedules for more than two years to meet demand for the popular Sonata sedan and Elantra compact, which are assembled at the Montgomery plant.

Today, automakers are expected to issue their U.S. sales reports for August.

However, Hyundai has already announced the month's total on its Twitter feed. The automaker sold 61,099 vehicles last month, a 4 percent increase from August 2011.

On Twitter, Hyundai cited tight inventory and said the third shift in Montgomery will help the company better meet demand.

In July, U.S. sales of Sonata sedan were flat, compared to a year ago, while year-to-date sales were up 2 percent.

Meanwhile, sales of the Elantra compact rose 22 percent in July, while year-to-date sales lag last year by 2 percent.

Through July, Hyundai's overall U.S. sales were up 9.5 percent over last year.

As for global sales, the automaker on Monday reported that August sales fell 4.6 percent. Hyundai has faced labor strikes by workers at South Korean factories over pay and working conditions; the company and its union reached a deal on Monday to end the strikes.